Back to school back to school...

I received this insulated lunch bag for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.



August is right around the corner, and that means back to school or starting school for many of our kids. Actually where I live, school started this past Monday so some kids are already in school. We as parents have a love hate relationship with back to school. We love that the kids are out of the house and doing something constructive (we hope) but we have to get out there and shop for all the things they need.

New clothes, new books, new backpacks, and school supplies are all on our lists. What about lunch though? If your child isn't eating at the school cafeteria then you are packing him or her a lunch every day. Personally, I like packing a lunch because I have control over what my child eats. School cafeteria food is often pizza, hot dogs, corn dogs, or burritos which are all high in fat and not healthy. When I pack a lunch for my kids I can use whole wheat bread, fresh fruits, and milk or juice. I used to use brown paper bags for their lunches but the problem is they don't stay cool. By the time my kids had lunch, their juice or milk was warm and so was the fruit and the sandwich.

I found this insulated lunch bag on Amazon and it is amazing. It is adjustable so it will be easy for any child to carry. It keeps their lunches cold for up to 4 hours, and it is insulated. It has 3 compartments to put things in, and the insulated compartment is very roomy. It also has two netted compartments on each side to hold water bottles or fruit or other things. I really think it will make life easier for both kids and their moms.

You can buy these great insulated lunch bags on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SVX6N40  I really suggest that you check them out and get one or two.

Gazelle is running a "Guess The Date Sweepstakes" for the new iPhone

The new iPhone is coming! The new iPhone is coming! Although, no one is exactly sure when ...

The release of the new iPhone model is a highly anticipated event among techies. To add to the excitement, Gazelle is running a "Guess The Date Sweepstakes." If you correctly guess when the new iPhone will be released and post it on Gazelle's Facebook page, you'll be entered to win a brand new iPhone 6s courtesy of Gazelle!

But you better hurry! Gazelle's "Guess The Date Sweepstakes" won't last long, so consult your crystal ball and enter in your prediction today for a chance to win!

Quick Stitch Sewing Kit

I received this sewing kit free in exchange for my review. All opinions stated here are my own.


 I hate being out and having a button pop or a seam rip. It can really ruin my day out. I have been known on occasion to even use the work stapler to fix a torn hem or a rip on my sleeve. I know it wasn't the best solution, especially if the staple popped and stuck me but sometimes it helped out in a pinch. The Quick Stitch Sewing Kit is a nice thing to have in one's purse. It is a good kit, much better than the emergency kits you see in the store. It comes in a nice nylon zippered case and is full of everything you need for an emergency. It has a few different size needles, a bunch of different colored thread so you can come close to the color you need, safety pins, a few buttons, and a thimble so you don't pinch your finger. I feel more secure going out on the town with this little kit stashed in my purse. You can purchase it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/emergency-beginners-carrying-supplies-guarantee/dp/b00sm0kxde

Drinking wine can be an art with the right glass

I received these Valentina Paris Hand Painted Wine Glasses complimentary for my unbiased review.

When I opened this box of wine glasses I was stunned at how beautiful they are. They are larger than a standard wine glass. Larger even than most of the water goblets I have seen, but very elegant. They are made of high quality thick glass and the hand painting will leave you speechless. They are almost to lovely to drink from. Each one is unique because they are painted by hand. I have three in my possession and although the design is similar on each one, the painting is different. Each has little nuances that makes it singular in the trio sitting in my china cabinet.

You can purchase a set for yourself on Amazon. They come in a set of two for a very reasonable price. They add elegance to any party and would make an excellent wedding or anniversary gift. Go take a look for yourself at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SC2JP5O

Paragon Sports challenges you to #workouttowork and win a GoPro Hero4!

Car commuting is pretty much a way of life these days. Most of us get up, get in our car and drive to work and then at the end of the day, turn around and do it again to get home. We use our GPS systems, or follow the local news on our radios and try to plan the quickest way to get to our destination and we sit in traffic. It can get pretty stressful day in and day out, and the last thing you want to do after arriving home is get back in the car and go for a workout!

But what if we worked out in the car while we commute? What if we use that stressful sitting in traffic time for something positive instead of stressing out and fuming behind the wheel? Paragon Sports, an innovator in the sporting goods industry since 1908, is challenging you to #workouttowork! And giving you a chance to win the newest, smallest, and lightest GoPro Hero4 Session!

Here's what you need to do:

• Just snap or upload a picture of your commute on Instagram or Twitter with #workouttowork and tag @paragonsports
• Write a brief description of your commute.
• Paragon Sports will select the top 5 favorites and post them on their Facebook voting page.
• Voters decide who will take home the newest, smallest and lightest GoPro Hero4 Session
• So start your #workouttowork today and enter your chance to win the newest GoPro! Paragon Sports is taking submissions now until July 31^st. Good luck!

And don't forget to like Paragon Sports on facebook so you can follow the action.

Hey Bay Area People! ModCloth Clothing Store is coming to San Francisco!

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. *

ModCloth's fabulously fun and unique online fashion shop is headed to the heart of San Francisco from July 30th-August 17th! Explore their colorful collection of dresses, tops, cardis, and more in person, try on exclusive styles, and get sizing and fit help from their terrific team. Drop by and browse their Union Square location, or book a free appointment to skip the lines, guarantee a fitting room, and shop with 1-on-1 assistance from their friendly staff (hurry, spots are limited). ModCloth can't wait to meet you!

To book an appointment, visit: http://www.modcloth.com/fitshop-sf Or call us: 1-844-FITSHOP

Cali won't be tracking kitty litter on the furniture anymore. One happy furmom here!

I received this kitty litter mat from Two Meows complimentary for my unbiased review. All opinions stated are my own.

I love my kitty. Well let me rephrase that so cat owners will understand. My kitty allows me to love her and take care of her and bow to her every demand. Sound more like a cat person now? Cali is actually my boyfriends kitty. We are not sure how old she is but we guess somewhere between 11 and 14 years old. I have had the pleasure of knowing Miss Cali for the last 6 years and my boyfriend has had her 10 years now.
She is a very independent cat, as most are, and she is completely indoor. This is mainly because when my boyfriend got her from a friend, she had already had her front paws declawed. So the home is her domain and she graciously shares it with us.

As you can see in the photos, one of her favorite places is on our sofa. She likes the center cushion unless I am sitting and get up for something. Then of course she has to move into MY spot on the sofa and claim it as her own. So our nice newish sofa has sprinkles of cat litter on it as well as our bed, the carpet, the loveseat and where ever else Miss Cali roams in the house. Now I vacuum often but it just seems to be all over the place and it isn't fun stepping on kitty litter in the carpet. So, I got the Two Meows kitty litter mat off of Amazon.

Not only is it a cute kitty paw design, it has really helped to keep the litter off the carpet and subsequently off the furniture and my bed. It has an astroturf type of feel to it so the litter clings to the mat instead of Cali's feet. It is very easy to vacuum and keep clean too. We all are a lot  happier in the house now. It did take Cali a few hours to get used to it, but by the first night I noticed kitty litter on it so it was being used. I think this is a great invention because we all know how our cats track litter or kick it out of the box. I showed my daughter and she is getting one for her kitty too now. If you are interested in getting this, you can buy it on Amazon at http://amztk.com/littermatgrey  You will be happy you did.

Mostfeel Portable USB Mini LED light and USB Powered Adjustable Desktop Fan on Amazon Now

Mostfeel Portable USB Mini Led light & USB-Powered Adjustable Desktop Cooling Fan Suit

Here are two exciting products that you may enjoy  at home, the office, or literally anywhere! How many times has it happened  that you were out of the house or camping somewhere, and you wished you had a fan with you? How many times were you far from home, enjoying a hiking expedition or just at some place where you need some light to find something or read your favorite book and you failed to find any light?

Mostta Mobile USB portable and fully flexible LED Light & mini Fan might seem like lowly little gadgets,but they do wonders. You may carry these extra-thin and light devices with you all the time and use them immediately after connecting to your laptop’s USB port or any power bank. You do not need a battery and you do not need to charge them.

This little lamp can give you bright light with 6 LED bulbs for 50,000 hours. You may use the fan as you like; adjust it in any direction and get a refreshing breeze. If you buy our items, we humbly request and would greatly appreciate it if  you would leave positive feedback about our life-changing technology, customer support and speedy shipment. We will soon run another promotion to reward our repeat clients with our next gadgets, totally free of cost. Who knows you might be the lucky winner to try our latest gadget absolutely free. Our gadgets come with Amazon guarantee, rest assured that there is no risk in buying them.

Right now, you can get our Fan & Light suit for $$6.98 using the code GOOGML02. which saves you money, click here for more information on Amazon. Hurry though, this amazing deal and coupon are only good from 30th July to 31th Aug

Wool dryer ball review and GIVEAWAY! ENTER NOW

I received these woolen dryer balls complimentary for my honest review. All opinions stated here are 100% my own.

Enter to win a giveaway of these wonderful dryer balls at the bottom of this blog post! You will be so glad that you did.

I have been wanting to try woolen dryer balls for some time now so when I was asked to review these I jumped at the time. They are extra large 100% sheep wool dryer balls. That is it, no chemicals to absorb into your clothing and no dryer sheets to add to our already overcrowded landfills. They are so easy to use too. I mean just put them in your dryer about 10 to 15 minutes before your cycle is done if you want to use essential oils like I did, or set your dryer to moisture sensitive setting and let it do its thing. Wolly Naturals wool dryer balls soak up moisture, up to 30% of their weight in water which leads to a quicker drying time and saves you money.

Use 3 balls for a smaller load, or all 6 balls as I did for a larger load. When finished store in a well ventilated area and never in plastic. Add a few drops of essential oil like I did to make your clothes smell clean and fresh without chemicals. The balls are individually made 100% New Zealand wool. They are eco-friendly, hypoallergic and fragrance free. They contain absolutely no fillers or additives, 100% natural wool.

I used mine today as you can see in the video and I cannot believe how soft my clothes came out. And using the vanilla oil gave them a very soft fragrance so they smelled fresh. You can pick these up on Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/qa48m7h if you are not the lucky winner of the giveaway. You will really love the way these wool dryer balls work.

Entry-Form

With Cricut Machines Paper Crafting is Easy! Look what you can do....

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

Now that you’re more familiar with Cricut Explore One™, Cricut Explore Air™ and Cricut Design Space™, it’s time to chat about some of the really neat things you can create when you put it all together.

As you’re getting familiar with your Cricut machine, it’s a great idea to take advantage of the free Make it Now™ projects and images that you get with Cricut Design Space™.

For example, check out this adorable 3D Hot Air Balloons Mobile. It’s a fun, easy starter project and makes for the perfect baby shower or toddler’s birthday gift (and can you believe it's made with felt?). And what’s a gift without a card? Cricut has an incredible selection of card examples made with Cricut Explore machines. There’s even a whole selection dedicated to everything baby, which is where I came across this cute baby shower card.

Birthday
What better way to tell someone how special they are than with a hand/Cricut-made card and gift? This super fun shaker card is perfect for a 21+ birthday. And even if you purchase a gift, you can always use your Cricut Explore machine to personalize it. For example, if you bought a friend a purse or a wallet, you could use your machine to monogram it with their initials. Or if you bought them a plain shirt or sweater, you could customize it with a fun image or statement.

I love this sparkly pineapple t-shirt. All you need is a blank shirt, a roll of Cricut Iron-on, and images from the Cricut® Summer Love image set.

Pool Party
Soak up the summer fun with a pool party! You can use your Cricut Explore to create everything from invitations to decorations. Here are some really creative ideas for how to add some special splash to a pool party.

Engagement/Wedding
Make your own beautiful table decorations, banners, party favor boxes, cards, and more for the happy couple in just a few minutes! You’ll find some really impressive ideas in Cricut’s Design Space, such as this lovely Mr. & Mrs. card.

There are an unbelievable number of project examples in the Design Space, which are categorized by type (e.g. baby, holidays, home décor, school, food, etc.) and by level (easy, moderate, and advanced). You can also find a ton of great ideas for projects on Cricut's Blog and Pinterest page.

The summer season is a perfect time to get your very own Cricut machine and familiarize yourself with Design Space and all the incredible projects you can create. Try out a few projects each month and you’ll be amazed at how easy it is. By the time the holiday season rolls around, you’ll be a Cricut pro and will wow your friends and family with your stunning crafting skills!

Happy crafting!

Want a non addictive solution to Opiate withdrawals? Elimidrol is here!

The "Solution" To Tough Opiate Withdrawals?
Elimidrol-The Way To Significantly Alleviate Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms
A scientifically formulated supplement to help you overcome opiate withdrawal-WITHOUT risking dependence on other drugs.
A Tough Nut To Crack
As any doctor will tell you, most traditional opiate withdrawal methods come with risks. To wean the patient off of their opiate habit, they need to put them on a "safer" opiate like Methadone. This method has a high level of success, but for many people, the treatment will become addictive in itself.
It's a conundrum that has left some opiate users asking the same question for decades:
Is there any way to kick this addiction-without the horrible anxiety, sleepless nights, depression, restlessness, aches, vomiting and the rest of symptoms that come with quitting opiates-without risking dependency on another drug?
This is the problem that Sunrise Nutraceuticals set out to solve with Elimidrol.
Elimidrol - Opiate Withdrawal Relief...Without Opiates
Elimidrolis an opiate withdrawal formula that reduces the pain, anxiety, mental anguish, emotional imbalance, irritability, restlessness, aches, and all the other mental and physical symptoms of opiate withdrawal with a non-addictive formula.
It's a task that has confounded addiction specialists for years.
But if Elimidrol's early results are an indication, Sunrise Nutraceuticals has created the solution.
Elimidrol is a:

• Non-addictive...
• Non-habit forming...
• Potent...
• Soothing...
• Highly effective...
• ...Detox-based solution.

The main issue with opiate withdrawal is, and always has been, the extreme mental and physical discomfort (to put it mildly) that comes with withdrawal. It's the anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, irritability, emotional imbalance, restlessness, cramps, aching, bowel irregularity, and so forth that send the sufferer coming back for more.
The Best Ingredients In The Business
Elimidrol helps you get over this tough withdrawal period by providing a combination of potent and effective ingredients known for helping with opiate withdrawal symptoms: And it shows!
Elimidrol is the only opiate withdrawal product guaranteed to work, and backed by a 100% money back guarantee. Elimidrol provides a level of potency that is unmatched by any non-opiate product in the industry, and has a success rate commensurate with the quality of its ingredients.
People who have tried Elimidrol have reported high levels of success in their recovery, along with major benefits like:

• Positive mood
• Comfort
• Calmness
• Calm, sustained energy
• Emotional stability
• Deep restful sleep
• Overall relief

Elimidrol comes in both daytime and nighttime formulas, to provide 24 hour relief. Reviews so far are overwhelmingly positive, with many people reporting that this was the one product that finally worked for them.
Elimidrol is a fresh approach to overcoming opiate withdrawal that's sure to help you reclaim your life.

Click here for more information about Elimidrol!

RPM² is the first and only TRUE running power meter in the world!

This post was created in partnership with eAccountable. All opinions are my own.

Remote Performance Measurement and Monitoring from RPM2.com

RPM² is the first footbed power meter in the world.
RPM2 (Remote Performance Measurement/Monitoring), is a brand new technology-specifically engineered to enhance an athlete's performance by providing data related to gait, range of motion, force, and power. RPM2 is the first footbed power meter in the world with remote force-measuring shoe insole used to help correct mechanics and form for athletes potentially reducing injury. You perform the exercises and the RPM2 shows detailed reports designed to help you develop strength and conditioning exercises to help you achieve bilateral equivalence and higher performance.
RPM2 provides accurate data to help all athletes be better, stronger, and achieve higher performance. RPM2 is designed to simply make the measurements necessary for coaches and athletes to make adjustments to training regimens and protocols. RPM2 is the only true running power meter in the world and streams real-time power during exercise.

Click here to learn more about the RPM² ™(Remote Performance Measurement/Monitoring)!

Reebok and DraftKings Fantasy UFC game July 11th

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

Reebok, the official athletic footwear and apparel partner of the UFC, will also be partnering with DraftKings to run a fantasy UFC game for UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor on the night of July 11th.

This highly anticipated fight will debut Reebok's UFC Fight Kit from their new Fight Shop.

DraftKings is a major online fantasy gaming site with brand partnerships including UFC, MLB, and other US pro sports leagues and teams. Prize for the game will include:

• Cash prize contributed by Draft Kings
• Shopping spree or gear pack from Reebok's online Fight Shop

 
 
 

Ice Ice Baby....

I received these Kuuk Silicone Ice Trays in exchange for an honest review. All opinions written here are entirely my own.

It's been hot this summer. With the heat comes the need to hydrate and keep cool, so we need ice and lots of it. One of my jobs in our house is to keep the ice bucket full in the standing freezer and the 6 ice trays always have various degrees of frozen water in them. It is hard to keep up with the demand for ice at times and on occasion a mishap occurs. I think I have snapped or cracked 5 or 6 ice trays in the last two years trying to get stubborn cubes out and a lot of the ice that does come out splinters.

I was asked to review these Kuuk Silicone Ice Trays and I think I am in love! I have reviewed silicone ice trays before, but they were 4 to 6 compartments in the tray and the ice cubes were huge. My husband told me to stop using them because he didn't want icebergs in his drinks. Those were his exact words too, "ice bergs" because that is what they resemble. The cubes were about twice the size of a standard ice cube and they didn't fit into sport bottles and took up a lot of room in a glass.

These Kuuk ones are different because they have 15 compartments and are close to the size of a standard ice cube. They are made of silicone so they are flexible even when the water in the compartments are frozen so they will not crack or break like a standard tray can. They also release the ice more easily so the ice doesn't break and splinter when it comes out. More cubes and less, slush as the hubby calls it, is a good thing in our home.

You just bend them in and outward to release the ice from the sides, flip the tray over, and press the cubes out from the bottom. It takes less than 2 minutes to empty the try and there is no waste. Then you can refill them and put them back in the freezer to start over again. They are shorter than standard ice cube trays which means they take up less room. They would be good for college students that have those small cube type refrigerator/freezer units as well as regular freezers.

They do have a couple of small drawbacks. The trays are silicone and very flexible so when you put water in them they can bend. You have to be careful when you carry them to assure that you do not spill any water out. There is no stand on the bottom either like a regular ice cube tray so you cannot stack them on top of each other. Other than those two little issues however, I find them superior to plastic ice cube trays and think they are a remarkable find. You can get these little gems on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RBAO8Q4/ref=sr_ph_1?m=AA7Y9TVNI1F02&ie=UTF8&qid=1436482387&sr=1&keywords=Kuuk

I am a coffeeholic! I love my daily joe!

I received this bag of CoffeeKrazy French Roast complimentary in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions stated in this blog are my own.

 I cannot tell you when in my life I started drinking coffee. It has always been a huge part of my life, even as a child. I remember my mom making me "coffee milk" in the morning which consisted of very weak Folgers instant coffee with a lot of milk in it. As I aged, the coffee became stronger and the milk became less and less. My taste in coffee also evolved as I got older. Nothing wrong with Folgers and in fact I have a jar at the ready in my cupboard for when I need it, but it is more for emergencies now like when I am out of my other coffee.

I am from San Francisco and I was lucky to find many coffee shops that offered their own roasted beans. I would try different types of coffee just to discover new flavors. I had my favorite coffee shops like Martha's Coffee which became Cumaica, and Alvin's which sadly could not compete with the local Starbucks. I also frequented Peets and Tullys quite often when I was in the neighborhood. While I am more of a french roast or vanilla coffee lover, I do on occasion drink a double espresso when the mood hits me.

I moved into a very rural area of California where I have to drive 30 minutes to get to the local Safeway or Raleys and coffee shops are pretty much nonexistent except for 2 Starbucks within a mile of each other. Even the choices of whole bean coffee are fairly dull in comparison to what I was used to. I was overjoyed to review this french roast from CoffeeKrazy. It is a whole bean french roast with a very smooth yet strong robust flavor. When I read the bag and found out it is certified organic and from San Francisco, my  heart leapt. The moment I opened the bag the aroma hit me. It absolutely made my mouth water and I couldn't wait to have a cup.

I pulled out my little manual coffee grinder and set about grinding up some beans to fill my reusable K cup for my little Keurig mini. When I had enough to fill the K cup, I tamped it in and got ready for my first cup. It did not disappoint me. The flavor is very very good. It is smooth and although a little strong, it is not overpowering and not a bit bitter. It is a very satisfying cup of coffee. I love that it is certified organic so I don't have to worry about ingesting any pesticides and it is a free trade coffee. It is a blend of organically grown Arabica beans and you can tell by it's taste it is a quality coffee.

You can purchase this wonderful coffee, and other coffee beans from www.coffeecrazy.com 
or of course from where I got it ....Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/CoffeeCrazy-Premium-Organic-French-Coffee/dp/B00YD5U1KW/
If you love coffee, this is the company you should look into.

Yay I made cookies today!

I received this BakeItFun Silicone Baking Mat complimentary in exchange for my honest review. All opinions stated here are entirely my own.

I love baking! There is nothing quite like the smell of something good coming from the oven. It makes a house more comforting and homey when the aroma of cookies fill the air. Doesn't matter if I make the dough from scratch, or if I buy refrigerated cookie dough, once they are baking they all smell the same! I do a lot of baking at christmas time. I don't have a ton of money to buy presents for everyone on my list so I make dozens of different cookies and then fill tins to share as gifts. Its just a small thing I do to say "I love you" to my friends and neighbors.

During this busy season we go through a lot of parchment paper in our home. I make probably 30 dozen cookies, maybe more and my roommate makes even  more than I do. I would say we easily go through 2 rolls of parchment paper and possibly more like three rolls. We even try to stretch it by turning the paper over and reusing it. The problem is after baking a couple of times, the paper burns so it is no longer of any use to us. This is really a big waste of paper and it just dumps more into our landfills.

The BakeItFun Silicone Baking Mat is reusable and it dosen't scorch or burn. You put it on your cookie sheet and put your dough on it and then bake as you would normally do. You do have to oil it the very first time you use it but that will be the last time you have to use oil on it. I baked some yummy chocolate chip cookies on it and it worked great. The cookies didn't stick to the mat and there were  no burn marks on the mat after I was done. I was a little concerned that the silicone would leave some type of taste in the cookies but that also wasn't true. The cookies tasted just like they always do.....like chocolate chip cookies! Cleaning up is so easy too. I just had to wash it with soap and water and then let it air dry for about an hour. It is now rolled up in my cabinet with all my other baking supplies ready to be used again next time. I really feel that this is a great invention and might eliminate parchment paper in the future. I would suggest having two or three on hand so you can bake faster because you will always have a tray ready to go into the oven. You can buy these baking mats on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Measurements-Professional-Certified-Non-Stick-BakeitFun/dp/B00SGFTFVQ 
You can watch my demonstration here from YouTube

Don't just drink your shot..DownIT in a skull :)

I received a DownIT skull shot glass for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated in my blog are entirely my own.

I have to start out honestly and say I am not much of a drinker anymore. I used to be and I have put away my fair share of shots, but after being married and divorced from an alcoholic I just don't like drinking very often and I don't get drunk. My older daughter and her boyfriend are not alcoholics but they do their partying on occasion and they like shots. When I saw this shot glass come up for review I immediately thought of the boyfriend. Shawn (not his real name) is a skater kind of guy and loves things like skulls. This shot glass was right up his alley so I decided to get it for review.

The glass is of a very thick construction with the skull molded into the side. When you put liquid into the glass it really shows the definition of the design. I don't drink so I used diet soda as a tester. I really think this is a novel and very cool twist on a shot glass. It will make a great addition to someone's home bar or as a gift for that certain person that likes their shots. I can't wait to give it as a christmas present to Shawn. I am sure he is gonna love it. You can get this shotglass online at http://goo.gl/ZykLnp.

My beautiful AdoramaPix photo book has arrived!

I received a complimentary AdoramaPix photo book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions stated here in this blog are my own. 

Family memories are priceless! It seems like minutes between the time we give birth to our children and when they are packing the car to move off into their own lives. My kids are all grown now and I am what you would call an empty nester. I have the photo albums with the sticky pages and the filmy covering to protect them in many places in my home. The problem with those is after a while the film starts to wrinkle and tear from use and the sticky on the pages just isn't as sticky as it once was. The albums start to fall apart and the precious photographs get lost or damaged. 

This photo book from AdoramaPix is a very high quality lovely addition to my photo albums. The photos are printed on a nice Luster paper and really show the images in their best light. The cover is a very thick sturdy cardstock and the pages are also sturdy so it will last a long time. The ordering part is so simple that anyone can do it.

You can choose the theme you want, and they have many many themes to choose from, and then you import your photos into the slots provided. They will automatically fill the slot in the best way possible and alert you if the photo is not the best fit for the position you have chosen so you can use another one. In the theme I chose, family, there were spaces to fill in with type if you wanted to, but I opted to delete the text and the text boxes to just show the kids and grandkids.You can also change the background if you want to different things and change and move some of the graphics to customize it to your liking.

Another nice thing about these books is you can get the photos you want to use from a variety of places. Uploading can come from your hard drive, a flash drive, or even facebook! I took most of mine from my hard drive but I did pull a few not only from my facebook, but from my children's facebook as well. This let me use photo's that I liked but didn't have in my possession. The whole ordering process took me about an hour by the time I was done, and I was very pleased with the ease of the ordering. I chose economy shipping for $5.00 and although they said it would take about 2 weeks to receive my book, I actually got it in about 1 week.

I have to go explore the rest of their site because they offer other photo gifts as well. I am thinking of doing a calendar for next year with some of my outdoor photography. Their prices are very reasonable with a 10 page 10 x10 book going for just $30 plus the $5 for shipping. These would make excellent gifts for a birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, an anniversary or any time you want to share your memories with a loved one. You can see all their offerings at their website www.adoramapix.com . Right now they are running a super promotion! Between now and September 30th if you use the code pxusfam25 they will give you 25% off all square photo books, regardless of their size! This gives you plenty of time to create that perfect photo book and save some money at the same time. They offer FREE SHIPPING on any order over $39.00. If you want a quality photo gift that will last, I suggest you take a look at their website because it doesn't get much better than these people.

Keep yourself a little more germ free! Automatic Touchless Soap Dispenser by SimpleOne

I received this Automatic Touchless Soap Dispenser complimentary in exchange for an honest evaluation. All opinions in my blog and video are my own.

This machine is really a great product. It keeps your sink area less messy and the design goes with most decor. It is really simple to put the batteries in at the bottom. Just use a small screwdriver to unlock the battery compartment and add 4 AAA batteries ( not included). Put the cover back on and screw it back together. Then remove the top of the dispenser by pressing the two silver buttons on the sides and lifting. Pour in your soap and you are ready to go. I like that you can use any type of soap in the machine that is non foaming. I happened to use body wash because I was out of liquid hand soap. You place your palm under the dispenser and it automatically gives you the correct amount of soap. I can see myself getting one for the other bathroom and another for the kitchen as well. If you want, you can also substitute hand sanitizer for soap and it works just as well.
You can buy the Simple One Automatic Touchless Soap Dispenser on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Touchless-Dispenser-SimpleOne-Brand/dp/B00MU1K9JO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8